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I was woken by George and as I blinked I saw that everyone had gone. I must have dropped off.

‘Oh, the meeting’s over?’ I said with a yawn.

‘Did you sleep through it?’

‘No, of course not. I listened to the most important parts.’ At least I hoped I had. ‘It just got very tiring with everyone chipping in ideas. Anyway, I do know what our part is going to be.’

‘Tell me, tell me, tell me!’ George sounded so young when he was excited.

‘Sheep.’ I didn’t quite know if I could look him in the eyes.

‘Sheep?’

‘I’m afraid so. In the Nativity there are going to be a few shepherds, and we are going to be their sheep, who go with them when they visit the baby Jesus.’

‘I’ve never understood why there weren’t any cats in the Nativity scene,’ George said. ‘Can’t we persuade them to let us be cats?’

‘How would that show your acting prowess?’ I teased.

‘Oh, yes, of course you’re right. But it’s not me I’m worried about. With my stage experience and natural talent I’ll easily be able to be a sheep but you, Snowball, and Hana might not find it quite so. I guess I’ll just have to help you all.’

I had no words. But it seemed that George had many as he started lecturing me about characterisation and how to make myself believable. How on earth I was going to be believable as a sheep? I couldn’t even make the right noise. And neither could George, to be honest, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him that. Neither of us had much of a ‘bleat’.

We spent the rest of the evening at home because it really was cold and miserable outside, and also we were both tired. George had to be the standin for Pickles (which he did not appreciate) when the children showed Claire and Jonathan how well their Rudolph song was going. Even though he’s clearly a brilliant actor – if he does say so himself – George sat there looking annoyed through the whole song.

Claire and Jonathan chatted through logistics– how much money they would spend and how much they hoped to raise, what the ticket price should be, and how they would advertise it beyond social media and putting a few posters up. Claire said she would contact the local paper and see if they would write a piece, Jonathan said he would ask someof the people who worked for him to buy tickets. And they also discussed having a gift donation bank at the show so people could bring a present for the homeless shelter people … There were a lot of good ideas going on and I could only feel proud and delighted. Not only because it was for such a good cause and would help so many people, but also because it was all my idea.

Had I mentioned that?

Chapter Fifteen

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Snowball was laughing, and I didn’t think it was funny. I had just told her about the sheep thing, which she thought was hilarious – even the fact we would be dressing up. I thought she would be as affronted as me, but no, she was amused.

‘Oh come on, Alfie, where’s your sense of adventure?’ she said.

‘But a sheep? We could have been the wise men, because goodness knows we are wise. Or even angels, because everyone knows angels are good. But sheep? They don’t do anything except run around and eat grass.’

‘You’re an expert on sheep now?’

‘I told you about the sheep when we were on holiday in Lynstow—’

‘Yes, you did and you don’t need to tell me again,’ Snowball said, stopping me in my tracks. ‘Alfie, where’s your Christmas spirit?’

‘Goodness, if I had known, I might not have come up with the idea in the first place,’ I huffed. I wasn’t sure why I was so annoyed, but I think that after all the work we’d done I had expected more of a starring role. I felt that the sheep were just extras really. The more I had time to think about it, the more I wasn’t keen.

‘You need to get over yourself. I heard Harold talking about how the homeless people will really benefit from this and that’s why we’re doing it. It raises awareness and money for the problem, and it means that more people at the Helen Street Shelter can have a lovely dinner for Christmas, and hopefully warm clothes and also even gifts. It’s more than they normally get, which is sad, and we need to remember how lucky we are.’ She gave me one of her stern looks. I was suitably chastised.

‘You’re right, sometimes I do think about myself too much.’ I felt bad.

‘Well, I heard Harold on the phone and he said they are all going to the shelter later, not the younger ones because they are too little, so they’re staying with Sylvie, but the rest of them are going to help out, meet some of the people who our show is going to help and give everyone an idea as to why we’re doing this,’ Snowball said.

‘We’re all going to go to the shelter?’ I asked. ‘They said us cats would be going?’

‘No, Alfie, what have I just said? Sometimes things are more important than us.’

‘I do know that,’ I huffed again. ‘But, surely we’ll be going to the shelter.’ How could they even think about going without us?

‘I’m not sure we’re invited,’ Snowball said.

‘When has that ever stopped us?’ I asked.